SHUTTER SILENCE
In an ideal world, we’d all have a list of funny conversation starters on deck for Thanksgiving dinner, so we’d be equipped to defuse any awkward family tensions or change the subject quickly, yet affably.
At your holiday dinner table, you know it’s important to stay away from controversial topics like politics, but what do you do if you don’t want to revert to retelling old family stories over and over again?
Luckily for you, we have some playful and funny conversation starters perfect for Thanksgiving to get your family and friends bonding (rather than bickering or making passive-aggressive remarks) during the meal.
4 Who is the funniest person at the table and why?
4 Pretend you just won $5 million. What’s the first thing you would buy?
4 What do you think is the hardest thing about being a parent?
4 What are you most thankful for this year? (You knew it was coming.)
4 Which person here do you wish you knew better?
4 Which person at this table would make the best news anchor?
4 If you had a uniform that you had to wear every day, what would it be?
4 Your most creative leftover dish?
4 How did you celebrate Thanksgiving when you were younger?
4 What was your favorite thing about where you grew up?
4 If you could live in any decade of your life again, which would it be?
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PROUD MEMBERS OF Lana San Diego
Fall
Breathe. . . Sometimes the best thing you can do is not think, not wonder, not imagine, not obsess. Just breathe and have faith that everything will work out for the best. –Unknown
This is excellent advice for this moment in 2024. For the last four weeks we have been ambushed by political ads. As if life hasn’t been stressful enough, we have just lived through the most heated election in the history of our great nation. As our publication is being sent to print, the outcome of the presidential election is still undecided.
Regardless of the outcome, I will choose to be grateful and continue to be thankful for having the opportunity to live in our great country. I want to say thank you to all of the Veterans who have served to make our nation great.
Thank you for supporting the advertisers who make The Grand Season possible. Remember, small businesses are the heartbeat of our community.
Happy Thanksgiving,
Melissa Whitton Editor/ Associate Publisher
FLASHBACK
Answers on pg. 16
1. Who had a hit with “Mr. Big Stuff”?
2. Deborah Cox is best known for which song?
3. Name the duet that Barbra Streisand and Donna Summer released in 1979.
4. Where did Guns N’ Roses get its name?
5. Name the song that contains this lyric: “Oh, I could hide ‘neath the wings of the bluebird as she sings, The six o’clock alarm would never ring.”
The Statue of Liberty wears a size 879 shoe.
Golf legend Jack Nicklaus earned his nickname, the “Golden Bear,” thanks to his size and blond hair. Conveniently, it was also the name of his high school mascot.
“Horizontal refreshment” was a 19th-century slang term for sex.
The term “mortician” was invented as part of a PR campaign by the funeral industry, which felt it was more customer-friendly than “undertaker.” The term was chosen after a call for ideas in Embalmer’s Monthly.
Sorry, Scotland: Persians invented bagpipes.
It would take 76 workdays (if you work an eight-hour day) to read every online privacy policy you agree to in an average year.
Walt Disney World is the second-largest buyer of explosives in America, following only the U.S. Department of Defense, but don’t worry— most of them are in the form of fireworks.
Harriet Tubman was the first woman to lead a U.S. military raid.
Marie Curie remains the only person to earn Nobel Prizes in two different sciences.
Instead of mowing the lawn, Google rents goats to eat the grass at its headquarters.
Save your citrus peels and dry them. You can use them for kindling in your fire. They contain flammable oils, and they smell pretty good, too.
Add glass marbles to bottled spray cleaners to displace liquid, so you can make sure the liquid finds the bottom of the sprayer’s suction tube.
Keep the fog off your glasses by cleaning them with shaving cream. It will prevent mist-ups when you move from hot to cold temperatures.
Jesse Olmedo, MD
James Barlow, MD Victoria Phan, PA-C
Brigitte Sledge, DO
DINING GUIDE
FLASHBACK
Answers from pg. 10
1. Jean Knight, in 1971. While Knight toured for years, she never did release another chart topper.
2. “Nobody’s Supposed to Be Here,” released in 1998. It won the Soul Train Award for Best R&B Single that year.
3. “No More Tears (Enough is Enough).” The song ended up in several versions, 4-minute, 8-minute and 11-minute lengths, depending on where it was used.
4. It came from when two bands combined: L.A. Guns and Hollywood Rose. It was easily done since several members of both groups were roommates.
5. “Daydream Believer,” by The Monkees, in 1967. Lead singer Davy Jones once said that he’d been annoyed while singing the song and that his bad mood could be heard. Nonetheless, the song topped the Hot 100 chart and stayed there for four weeks.
Dinner and a Movie!
INSPIRE
THANKFULNESS
Gratitude can transform common days into thanksgivings, turn routine jobs into joy, and change ordinary opportunities into blessings.
William Arthur Ward
Gratitude is the inward feeling of kindness received. Thankfulness is the natural impulse to express that feeling. Thanksgiving is the following of that impulse.
Henry Van Dyke
Gratitude is the healthiest of all human emotions. The more you express gratitude for what you have, the more likely you will have even more to express gratitude for.
Zig Ziglar
I am happy because I’m grateful. I choose to be grateful. That gratitude allows me to be happy.
Will Arnett
Gratitude helps you to grow and expand; gratitude brings joy and laughter into your life and into the lives of all those around you.
Eileen Caddy
Thankfulness is the beginning of gratitude. Gratitude is the completion of thankfulness. Thankfulness may consist merely of words. Gratitude is shown in acts.
Henri Frederic Amiel
Gratitude makes sense of our past, brings peace for today, and creates a vision for tomorrow.
Melody Beattie Joy is the simplest form of gratitude.
Karl Barth
Gratitude bestows reverence, allowing us to encounter everyday epiphanies, those transcendent moments of awe that change forever how we experience life and the world.
John Milton
YOU THINGS TO BE HAPPY ABOUT
1. Dishwashers.
2. Netflix’s holiday specials.
3. Parents—because no matter how old you are, they can still solve any problem.
4. Holiday recipes that have been passed down through the family for years.
5. Roasted pumpkin seeds, pumpkin pie, and all of the fall flavors.
6. The best friend you can call after months apart and pick up right where you left off.
7. Friendsgiving—the chance for two Thanksgiving dinners.
8. Pillows.
9. Quirky traditions that make your family special.
10. The local farmer’s market.
11. Pints of ice cream.
12. The coziest spot in your house.
13. Delivery food.
14. The presents you have hidden away, knowing they will make your loved ones so happy.
15. Friendships, new and old.
16. The snooze button.
17. Sweatpants. And elastic waistbands.
18. Caller I.D.
19. Laundry machines.
20. Sunday afternoons with coffee and a good book.
21. Coffee. Coffee. Coffee.
22. Wine. Wine. Wine.
CROSSWORD PUZZLE
AAA SENIOR PLACEMENT AZ
A Message from Sue Royer
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Years ago, I volunteered for hospice and knew immediately that helping seniors was my calling. I was soon employed by hospice but I felt something was missing. I realized it was the limited time I was able to spend with my clients. Having my own business allows me to provide the intimate hands on service needed in our community. I am committed to our seniors throughout their lives and I thank the community for the opportunity to serve.”
Sue RoyerDirector
About Us
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